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Comet Garradd Visits M71



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 27th 11, 05:10 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Marty[_3_]
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Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

I ran out a little after 10:00 with my old C8 to get a look at Comet
Garradd's close approach to M71... It was a pretty clear night,
although kind of humid, and I had to wait for the lights of the local
high school football game to my north to turn off. This was an easy
starhop, right under Sagitta. After setting up, I had both the comet
and the globular cluster in the same low power field within a minute
or two... This was cool...! The pair of fuzzies were fun to
compare... M71 easily breaking up into stardust, with Comet Garradd
staying misty with a condensed nucleus. The comet's tail seemed to
flare out rather broadly toward the cluster, maybe favoring the
western side just a bit. I had absolutely no dark adaption, and the
busy background of the Milky Way tended to visually confuse things
just a bit for me... I have an eyepiece turret on my C8, and I tend
to flip around quite a bit... Both objects took magnification
well... My 12mm eyepiece was my high power tonight at 160x... At
that magnification I could still fit the comet and half of M71 into my
field of view! With a 40mm eyepiece, (50x) both objects took center
stage with the star-studded northern Milky Way background all around
them. Well worth the look!
I occasionally backed away for a look at the constellations, (my
first celestial love,) and once hopped up for a look at the Dumbbell
Nebula... The night wasn't good for detail, but it seemed to be
pretty transparent. I saw little mottling in the brighter part of the
nebula, but the dimmer sides flared out clearly to give it an obvious
"football" shape. (OK, an "American" football...)
I whipped back down again to the Garradd - M71 pair, and tried to
freeze it in my mind for a few minutes... I dragged my scope back in
and made a quick, crude, sketch. It'll be fun to compare this to the
photographs that come out of this thing...
Now I've gotta go down and put my scope to bed...
Marty
  #2  
Old August 27th 11, 05:14 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Sam Wormley[_2_]
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Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

On 8/26/11 11:10 PM, Marty wrote:
I ran out a little after 10:00 with my old C8 to get a look at Comet
Garradd's close approach to M71... It was a pretty clear night,
although kind of humid, and I had to wait for the lights of the local
high school football game to my north to turn off. This was an easy
starhop, right under Sagitta. After setting up, I had both the comet
and the globular cluster in the same low power field within a minute
or two... This was cool...! The pair of fuzzies were fun to
compare... M71 easily breaking up into stardust, with Comet Garradd
staying misty with a condensed nucleus. The comet's tail seemed to
flare out rather broadly toward the cluster, maybe favoring the
western side just a bit. I had absolutely no dark adaption, and the
busy background of the Milky Way tended to visually confuse things
just a bit for me... I have an eyepiece turret on my C8, and I tend
to flip around quite a bit... Both objects took magnification
well... My 12mm eyepiece was my high power tonight at 160x... At
that magnification I could still fit the comet and half of M71 into my
field of view! With a 40mm eyepiece, (50x) both objects took center
stage with the star-studded northern Milky Way background all around
them. Well worth the look!
I occasionally backed away for a look at the constellations, (my
first celestial love,) and once hopped up for a look at the Dumbbell
Nebula... The night wasn't good for detail, but it seemed to be
pretty transparent. I saw little mottling in the brighter part of the
nebula, but the dimmer sides flared out clearly to give it an obvious
"football" shape. (OK, an "American" football...)
I whipped back down again to the Garradd - M71 pair, and tried to
freeze it in my mind for a few minutes... I dragged my scope back in
and made a quick, crude, sketch. It'll be fun to compare this to the
photographs that come out of this thing...
Now I've gotta go down and put my scope to bed...
Marty


Thank you Marty -- I always feel like I am right there with you
in your observations!
-Sam

  #3  
Old August 27th 11, 05:42 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Marty[_3_]
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Posts: 132
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

On Aug 26, 11:14*pm, Sam Wormley wrote:
On 8/26/11 11:10 PM, Marty wrote:









I ran out a little after 10:00 with my old C8 to get a look at Comet
Garradd's close approach to M71... *It was a pretty clear night,
although kind of humid, and I had to wait for the lights of the local
high school football game to my north to turn off. *This was an easy
starhop, right under Sagitta. *After setting up, I had both the comet
and the globular cluster in the same low power field within a minute
or two... *This was cool...! *The pair of fuzzies were fun to
compare... *M71 easily breaking up into stardust, with Comet Garradd
staying misty with a condensed nucleus. *The comet's tail seemed to
flare out rather broadly toward the cluster, maybe favoring the
western side just a bit. *I had absolutely no dark adaption, and the
busy background of the Milky Way tended to visually confuse things
just a bit for me... *I have an eyepiece turret on my C8, and I tend
to flip around quite a bit... *Both objects took magnification
well... *My 12mm eyepiece was my high power tonight at 160x... *At
that magnification I could still fit the comet and half of M71 into my
field of view! *With a 40mm eyepiece, (50x) both objects took center
stage with the star-studded northern Milky Way background all around
them. *Well worth the look!
* * * I occasionally backed away for a look at the constellations, (my
first celestial love,) and once hopped up for a look at the Dumbbell
Nebula... *The night wasn't good for detail, but it seemed to be
pretty transparent. *I saw little mottling in the brighter part of the
nebula, but the dimmer sides flared out clearly to give it an obvious
"football" shape. *(OK, an "American" football...)
* * * I whipped back down again to the Garradd - M71 pair, and tried to
freeze it in my mind for a few minutes... *I dragged my scope back in
and made a quick, crude, sketch. *It'll be fun to compare this to the
photographs that come out of this thing...
* * * Now I've gotta go down and put my scope to bed...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Marty


* *Thank you Marty -- I always feel like I am right there with you
* *in your observations!
* -Sam


Maybe someday we'll do that, Sam.
Marty
  #4  
Old August 27th 11, 06:32 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Marty[_3_]
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Posts: 132
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

Just out of curiosity, I ran out again at 12:15am with 11x80
binoculars... Again, with no dark adaption, which seems to be my
usual technique lately. I could make out a little "confusion" at the
location of M71, but not much to get excited about. With my eyes and
my skies, this is definitely a "telescope" view. To make it worth my
while, I barrelhoused around the sky a bit, picking up M33, NGC 752,
Kemble's Cascade, and few others... Jupiter's rising very bright...
Time spent under the stars is never wasted...

Marty

  #5  
Old August 27th 11, 06:53 AM posted to sci.astro.amateur
oriel36[_2_]
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Posts: 8,478
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

On Aug 27, 7:32*am, Marty wrote:

Time spent under the stars is never wasted...

Marty


Under the stars is good but what is much better is the looking out
into the celestial arena where the stars come into view as the Earth
rotates with just a slight shift in view to consider our own Sun as
one of those stars.

Right ascension defines declination,or puts relevance to stellar
circumpolar motion in the neighborhood of Polaris but do you really
want to be under a stellar circumpolar dome for no other reason than
you lack the creativity to cut the motions of the Earth loose from a
rotating celestial sphere.When you put your binoculars away your hobby
ends for the night but there is another astronomy that matches cause
and effect with little or nothing other than the astronomer's power to
reason.

The normal experience of looking at a mountain, a tree,a person or any
other delightful object against the clear background of the sky is one
of humanity's most endearing traits but for you and your homocentric
empiricist buddies,you can't apply the same attitude to the stars ,you
want to 'curve' the background space or be 'under' the stars,never the
actual perception of looking out of the stars in context of the great
galactic islands of which we are a part.

Go outside and breathe the air of an astronomer for a change.

  #7  
Old August 27th 11, 02:28 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Marty[_3_]
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Posts: 132
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

I'm going to attempt to post a URL for my quick sketch last night...
IF THIS WORKS, it's not a work of astronomical art, but a crude visual
note to myself so that I can compare what I saw to the photographs
that will undoubtedly be posted on the web. (These things also make
my log more fun to look back on...) My respect and admiration for
Sketcher increases exponentially when I make these attempts...
http://img.villagephotos.com/imageview.aspx?i=27409198

Marty

  #8  
Old August 27th 11, 02:35 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Marty[_3_]
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Posts: 132
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

On Aug 27, 8:28*am, Marty wrote:
I'm going to attempt to post a URL for my quick sketch last night...
IF THIS WORKS, it's not a work of astronomical art, but a crude visual
note to myself so that I can compare what I saw to the photographs
that will undoubtedly be posted on the web. *(These things also make
my log more fun to look back on...) *My respect and admiration for
Sketcher increases exponentially when I make these attempts...http://img.villagephotos.com/imageview.aspx?i=27409198

Marty


Hmm. I clicked on this to see if it worked after I posted it, and
showed it to my wife, and she LAUGHED....

Marty
  #9  
Old August 27th 11, 04:12 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Ben[_2_]
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Posts: 181
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

On Aug 27, 6:35*am, Marty wrote:
On Aug 27, 8:28*am, Marty wrote:

I'm going to attempt to post a URL for my quick sketch last night...
IF THIS WORKS, it's not a work of astronomical art, but a crude visual
note to myself so that I can compare what I saw to the photographs
that will undoubtedly be posted on the web. *(These things also make
my log more fun to look back on...) *My respect and admiration for
Sketcher increases exponentially when I make these attempts...http://img.villagephotos.com/imageview.aspx?i=27409198


Marty


Hmm. *I clicked on this to see if it worked after I posted it, and
showed it to my wife, and she LAUGHED....

Marty *


Hey Marty, it's as good as E. E. Barnard's sketches.

Clear Skies....
  #10  
Old August 27th 11, 06:01 PM posted to sci.astro.amateur
Howard Lester[_2_]
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Posts: 81
Default Comet Garradd Visits M71

"Marty" wrote

http://img.villagephotos.com/imageview.aspx?i=27409198

Marty


Hmm. I clicked on this to see if it worked after I posted it, and
showed it to my wife, and she LAUGHED....


It looks like a bird just got hit, feathers flying.... :-)
 




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